Thunberg Calls Trump’s Jabs “Just Funny”

World leaders, mainly President Donald Trump, and in recent weeks Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, continue to deride teenage climate activist, Greta Thunberg, who laughed off the entire confrontation and deemed the remarks “just funny.”

Thunberg also stated the jeers are a result of those who attack her “being terrified of young people bringing change, which they don’t want.”

In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today, for which she served the role of guest editor on Monday, BBC asked what Thunberg makes of the personal attacks bought upon her by these prominent world leaders. Thunberg stated that while she laughs off the immature jeers, such as Bolsanaro calling her a “brat,” she hopes to resume to a normal life soon. “Those attacks are just funny,” Thunberg stated. “Because I mean they obviously don’t mean anything. Well I guess of course it means something. It means that they are terrified of young people bringing change, which they don’t want. But that is just a proof that we are actually doing something. And that they see us as some kind of threat.”

The Swedish youth activist also stated that speaking with Trump at a United Nations Summit would have been a waste of time since he would not have paid any attention.

The President is known for taking jabs at Thunberg over social media. The pair’s battle began in early September when Trump mocked Thunberg over Twitter after she berated world leaders for not doing enough to protect the environment.

Trump shared a video over Twitter in September, which went viral, after photos of Thunberg glaring at him entering the U.N. Climate Summit late surfaced. The video featured 16-year-old Thunberg in an extreme state of distress.

Trump shared another video-tweet in early October, despite first lady Melania Trump‘s #BeBest Anti-Bullying Campaign, which accused Thunberg of being an actress.

Months later, Trump continues his social media battle with the teenage climate activist pouncing at any chance to deride her.

In early December, after Time Magazine named Thunberg its person of the year, Trump continued targeting her.

When BBC asked Thunberg whether she thought if Trump were among the masses of people who deem the youth activist a threat, Thunberg replied, “it’s possible.” “Not me, of course, me myself alone am not much of a threat,” she continued. “But it’s that I’m a part of a big movement that they probably see as a threat.”

In addition, the 16-year-old reiterated that speaking with Trump at the United Nations Summit earlier this year would have been pointless, adding that even if she did have the chance to meet with Trump, she “wouldn’t have wasted my time.”

Bolsonaro also targeted Thunberg, calling her a “pirralha,” which means “little brat” in Portuguese in early December, after she had spoken out against the brutal murders of two indigenous activists who were killed attempting to protect the Brazilian rainforest from illegal lumbering. The Brazilian President stated, “it is staggering, the amount of coverage the press gives that brat.”

Thunberg responded how she usually responds to grown-male world leaders taking immature jabs at her – she updated her Twitter bio to “pirralha.”

Article by Emily Bevacqua